


Subject A0

by NerdQueen13



Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Canon - Book & Movie Combination, Cute, F/M, Fix-It, Happy Ending, I'm just fixing James's mistakes, I'm sorry if my chapter titles are dumb/lame/bad, Teresa and the protagonist are twins, don't be upset about who ends up together, three-book plot in one fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:14:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26450950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdQueen13/pseuds/NerdQueen13
Summary: Waking up in the Box, Autumn has no memory of who she is or where she came from. She and her twin Teresa arrived with an ominous message to all of the boys already living there, whose world is about to turn upside down.Some of the Gladers are suspicious of her, as one would expect, but not all of them. Newt seems to take an especial liking to her, and the two quickly strike up a friendship that could lead to more. Autumn just hopes she'll be around to see that happen.
Relationships: Newt (Maze Runner)/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 5





	1. Panic

**Author's Note:**

> This is currently in the works (it is not finished, nor is everything I have fully edited), so I apologize for potential delays between postings.

As I wake up, feeling dazed and lost and fuzzy-headed, my senses are instantly overwhelmed with a flood of panic. Squares of light flash across the otherwise black walls as the boxy vehicle I’m trapped in rushes upward with a chorus of clanks and groans. I don’t feel safe.  
  
I sit up and scoot backwards on my butt, trying to retreat into the corner for safety. When I move, my fingertips brush against something that feels an awful lot like human flesh. I clench my jaw tightly, transforming the scream in my throat into a whimper.  
  
Just when the fear that the box will never start moving begins to creep in, a sturdy-looking ceiling appears at the top of the tube. Then a new fear arises. I squeeze my eyes shut and throw my hands over them in preparation for the crash, but it never comes. All there is is a dull, hollow thud. Peeking through my fingers, I watch the ceiling split up the middle and open, revealing a halo of blinding light around a crowd of gaping teenage boys clustered around the top.  
  
I can barely see over the crate in front of me, but I feel the lift shake as one of them jumps down into the cage. “It’s...a girl,” he says in a strange accent. This draws my eyes back to the center of the cage, where another girl lies on the floor, her dark hair splayed out around her face. Ah, yes, the human flesh I felt earlier. Something in my head notes her familiarity, but nothing comes to mind.  
  
“Dibs!” a random boy’s voice yells. My lip curls into a silent snarl.  
  
“I think she’s dead,” the first boy says.  
  
“What’s in her hand?” a boy with pencil-thin eyebrows demands.  
  
The boy with the accent pulls a roll of ragged paper from the other girl’s fist. “‘They’re the last ones...ever,’” he reads. “‘They’? What does that mean? I only see one.”  
  
Holding onto the stack of crates, I push myself out of the corner with a small cry of desperation, trying to stand on wobbly legs. Several of the boys, including the one in the weird elevator, jump in surprise. “There’s two of them!” a shorter boy with fluffy curls cries from above.  
  
“Now this is getting good,” the second boy whispers. “Maybe they’re going to start sending up girls for all of us before we die!”  
  
The others roll their eyes. “Didn’t you hear what it said? We aren’t getting any more!”  
  
The one in the lift, a tall, thin boy with gingery-brown hair, stoops down and offers me his hand. “Welcome to the Glade, Greenie,” he says. “You got a name?”  
  
Something in his voice tugs at the edge of a memory, and my brow furrows as I try to think, to remember either my name or why I feel like I know him. “No,” I whisper hoarsely. “I… I don’t remember. I can’t remember anything at all.” For some reason, that realization is accompanied by the urge to start crying, but I can’t do that here.  
  
He looks at me gently. “That’s alright. It’ll come back to you soon enough. It’s the one thing they don’t take away from us.”  
  
I swallow fearfully. “What’s your name?” I squeak.  
  
He takes a step back. “I’m Newt,” he answers, climbing out of the lift and offering me his hand again. “Now come on and I’ll give you the Tour--unless, of course, you’d rather wait for your Box buddy to wake up.”  
  
I scurry up after him. Newt sets off at a fast pace, and it takes me a moment to catch up to him after he parts the crowd. The boys hovering around the Box gasp and cry out collectively over a short-lived sound from the Box, but Newt only gives them a cursory glance before proceeding with my tour. That particular mystery, it seems, can wait until later. “What is this place?” I ask timidly. It seems like a good general question to start our tour of the mysterious “Glade”, plus I just really want to hear him talk more in that cute accent of his. Despite the chaotic mixture of emotions going through my mind right now, my basic female instincts still appear to be intact. Great. I’ve been here for, like, five minutes, and I’m already horny. Spectacular.  
  
“None of us have any clue,” Newt answers, casting a look around the wide green meadow. “We wake up here with no memories of our pasts, but we’ve built a little society as best we could. And you and that other girl made Glade history today. We’ve never gotten two Greenies at once, or had multiple in one month, let alone had any girls join our ranks.” He smirks, and I’m unsure if it’s an expression of insult or respect. My hands clench into fists, but the rest of my body does not react.  
  
That is, until the singular memory strikes me. My body goes rigid, and I stop walking, causing Newt to turn around in confusion. “Autumn,” I breathe.  
  
“What?”  
  
“Autumn. That’s my name.”  
  
“Well, that was fast, Gree--Autumn, sorry. It’s a very pretty name.” He blushes and flips his orangey hair out of his face. “You are setting all sorts of records today.”  
  
I roll my eyes playfully. “Lucky me,” I reply, crossing my arms. “What, am I the fastest in Glade history or something?”  
  
“Only ones faster were me and the Greenie who showed up yesterday,” Newt answers with a cocky smile. “I held onto mine in the Box as everything else slipped away. Him too. Of course, Newt’s not my real name. I knew that even when I forgot everything else. I guess they did take that away from me after all.”  
  
My heart breaks for him, this cute, foreign boy with a false identity. “I’m so sorry, Newt,” I breathe, close to tears again. He shrugs, probably trying to act like he’s moved on. I don’t want to push him over the edge, so I decide to change the subject. “Now, are we going on this tour or what? I’d like to see where I can get some food. Hurtling skyward in a box for an undisclosed amount of time can really make a girl hungry….”


	2. Kitchen Conversations

Newt laughs and motions for me to follow him. He points out various structures and sectors of the Glade as we go, describing the jobs most associated with each area as well.  
  
“And here we are, at the Kitchen,” Newt concludes grandly, gesturing to a small hut near the center of the cluster of buildings. “Let’s go in and get you something to eat. We just had breakfast, but I’m sure Frypan still has plenty of food in there for you to eat something.”  
  
“Frypan?” I ask, biting back a chuckle as I step inside and start hunting for food. Thick, hazy smoke hangs in the air, probably left over from some burned breakfast, making it difficult to see.  
  
“He’s our head cook. His real name--at least, the one he remembers--is Siggy, but he’s adopted Frypan as his nickname. He and I both suspect that whoever put us here gave us false names, but he doesn’t know for certain. I, on the other hand, do remember that much.” Newt leans against the doorframe casually, the perfect image of a troubled teenage boy. Again, I want to ask him about the horrors he’s faced and the pain he’s felt while he’s been here, but that hardly seems appropriate for our introductory tour.  
  
“What exactly do you do here?” I ask, poking around for scraps of food and topics of conversation. I find several different vegetables and a little bit of uncooked chicken--still fresh, I hope--and begin to chop it all up. I pour a small amount of oil from an unmarked bottle into a pan and throw all the ingredients in, putting it on the stove, turning the burner on, and hoping it doesn’t explode all over me.  
  
“I’m Alby’s second-in-command,” Newt answers. “Alby’s our leader. You might not have seen him out there, with everyone pressing in so close, but he’ll come find you later and lecture you on the rules. We all try to share the work around here, but everyone’s got a main job that they prioritize. I think I told you everything earlier, but I’ll review. We’ve got Builders, Med-jacks, Track-hoes, Slicers, Runners--”  
  
“What’s a Runner?”  
  
Newt blinks at me. “You see those walls over there?” he asks, moving into the room and pointing out the window at the huge slabs of stone standing upright in the distance. “That’s the Maze. The Runners explore it and search for our way out of this prison.”  
  
“Sounds dangerous,” I mutter absently, stirring my breakfast in the pan. I dig the spoon into a chunk of chicken to see if it’s fully cooked. When I see the white center, I pull the pan off the heat and set it down.  
  
“It is,” he answers, still gazing out the window. “I used to be one, you know.”  
  
“What happened?” No answer. I bite my lip, nervous to ask my follow-up question. “Does it...have something to do with your limp?”  
  
He turns back to me with a dark look on his face. “That’s...a story for another time, Autumn.”  
  
“Okay.” I won’t push the subject. Suddenly ravenous, I scoop up a bite of my stir fry and chew on it, sighing contentedly. “Mmmm. Newt, you gotta try this.”  
  
He looks at me in confusion but obliges my request, tasting a spoonful of food dutifully. His eyes widen in shock. “That’s the best bloody thing I’ve ever tasted,” he breathes. “I’ll tell Alby you should be assigned to Cook straight away, rather than do two weeks of job testing with everybody. Frypan might even have to look out for you coming after his role as Keeper.” He winks and gestures toward the door, and I follow, grinning from ear to ear.  
  
We bump into another boy outside the Kitchen. “Autumn, this is Alby,” Newt says, nodding toward the other boy. I wave awkwardly, still caught in the moment in the Kitchen with Newt.  
  
“Newt already gave you the Tour?” Alby asks. I nod. “Dang. That’s normally my job.” He looks at Newt knowingly. “Oh well. Makes things easier for me. Come on. I’ll take you to the last stop on the Tour, and then Newt and I’ve got to go to the Gathering.”  
  
I wave to Newt with confusion and a hint of sadness as I follow Alby out of the living area and across the open field.  
  
“You alright, Greenie? You seem quiet.”  
  
“I don’t know,” I say. “But my name’s Autumn.”  
  
Alby smiles faintly. “Welcome to the Glade, Autumn. Do your part, don’t harm your fellow Gladers, and stay within these walls, and you’ll be fine.” We stop in front of a large chunk of rock covered in rough markings. “Here’s your initiation ceremony.”  
  
Alby hands me a small knife, and I turn slowly to the wall, silently reading the names carved into it. Some are crossed out with crude scratches, which can only mean one thing. As I press the tip of the knife to the cold stone, I just hope that the other names on the boulder don’t end up scratched out anytime soon.


	3. Greenie in the Garden

“Greenbean, can you go get some more vegetables from the patch? We’re gonna need more than this for dinner tonight.”  
  
I look up from the pot I’m stirring to see Frypan smiling subtly as me, as if his nice behavior will convince me to go or something. “Okay, Fry,” I huff, stepping away and brushing my hands off on my pants. He passes me a pair of buckets, and I march out of the Kitchen and away from the Homestead toward the little farm.  
  
When I reach the gardens, I find Newt and another boy conversing as they pluck tomatoes from their vines. “Hey,” I say breathlessly.  
  
“Oh, hey.” Newt turns and gives me a sideways smile, making my heart flutter strangely.  
  
“Hey, Greenie,” the dark-haired boy beside him says.  
  
“Autumn,” I say automatically.  
  
“Autumn.” He turns the name over in his head for a minute, thinking, and smiles at me. “I’m Thomas. I got here...one day before you did, actually.”  
  
“Thomas,” Newt interrupts, “can you go find some more baskets? I think we’ve got too many tomatoes for the ones we have.”  
  
Thomas nods and runs off, leaving me alone with Newt. “What brings you out here?” he asks. “I thought surely Frypan’d have you glued to the stove already.”  
  
I snort. Once I catch my breath, I lift the buckets, accidentally swinging them into Newt’s side. “Sorry!” I cry. Newt brushes it off, and I compose myself. “That’s what I was just doing, to be fair. He actually sent me to get more vegetables.”  
  
“Well, then, you’ve come to the right guy, as I’ve got too many tomatoes at the moment.”  
  
I giggle as he starts to pick red orbs out of a basket on the ground. All of a sudden, a black blur zooms our way from the Blood House. Seconds later, it pounces on me, knocking me to the ground and spilling the bucket of tomatoes.  
  
I look up into the face of a black lab as its huge pink tongue stretches from its mouth to lick my face. “Hey, buddy,” I laugh, trying to push the dog off me enough to pet him.  
  
“Sorry,” Newt says, pulling the dog off me so I can sit up. He reaches out and helps me off the ground. “That’s Bark. He usually sticks around the Blood House with Winston, so I dunno what’s up today. You must be something special.”  
  
I grin and bend down to pet the dog. “Who’s a good boy?” I exclaim. Is that even what people say to dogs? It could be a trick of my clearly flawed memory.  
  
The dog licks my face again as I try to pick up some of the fallen tomatoes. “He likes you,” Newt muses, gathering more of the fallen vegetables. “He can sense a good shank when he meets one.”  
  
“Can you tell me why everyone keeps calling me ‘Greenie’ and ‘shank’ and stuff?” I blurt.  
  
Newt looks up at me. “Greenie’s our word for the newbies. It’s short for Greenbean. We Gladers have a bit of a specialized vernacular in here.”  
  
I gaze at him with wide eyes, intrigued. “What about the rest of them?”


	4. Banishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lol DRAMATIC

All the Gladers move in waves toward one of the Doors. I catch up to Newt and Alby on my way, hoping to get some more answers.  
  
“What’s going on?” I question.  
  
“Ben’s being Banished for trying to kill Thomas,” Alby states.  
  
“Banished? What do you mean?”  
  
“We send him out into the Maze,” Newt answers. The look on my face must convey my sheer horror. “It’s how things work around here.”  
  
“That’s sick,” I moan.  
  
Alby glares at me. “Slim it, or we’ll give the Grievers a two-for-one deal tonight.”  
  
My mouth drops open, but before I can protest, Newt jumps to my defense. “Alby, leave the poor Greenie alone. She’s still really frazzled. I don’t think she’s ready to watch this.”  
  
Part of me wants to say that I don’t need Newt to speak for me or give me special treatment, but I really don’t want to watch Ben become monster bait, so I don’t say anything.  
  
Alby deliberates for a moment. “You’re excused, Greenbean. This time. But if it happens again, I don’t care how emotionally fragile you are, you’re gonna be there.”  
  
With that, the two of them turn away and continue toward the Door. Newt turns his head and mouths I’m sorry to me before he goes. Not sure what else to do, I wander back to the Homestead early, practically crawling into bed when I get there. I shut my eyes and try not to think about what they’re doing to Ben right now, but that can’t block out his bone-chilling screams.


	5. Changing Curiosities

Thomas and Minho escaped the Maze. I’m not sure who Minho is, but he’s gotta be pretty legendary to survive a night in the Maze. The two of them are the talk of the town. 

Thomas and Minho escaped the Maze. Alby’s undergoing the Changing. Newt called a Gathering about Thomas. I have no clue what’s going on. Everything is chaos. 

I sit down on a bench, slumping forward and holding my head on my fist. I stare off into space as someone sits down next to me. I look at him, blinking suddenly to clear my vision. It’s the short, curly-haired kid that I remember from my arrival in the Box. 

“I’m Chuck,” the kid offers, grinning. 

“Autumn,” I answer, pressing my lips together. He seems nice enough; he’s not leaping to judge me as a bad omen or anything. 

“What’s wrong, Autumn?” Chuck presses. I’m not exactly in a talking mood, so I can see why Thomas gets annoyed with the kid. He’s nice, but he doesn’t get that I just want to be alone to think right now. But I can’t say that. Even if he is a little irksome, he’s treating me like a person, unlike some of the guys. 

“Chuck, what do you know about the Changing?” I ask finally. 

“From what Newt’s told me, it restores your memories, drives you insane, takes the memories back, and then makes you normal again, but, ya know...different.”

I stare out into the field again. Part of me wants to remember, but I know that desire is wrong. But if there were some other way...


	6. Awakening

Thomas has already visited the sleeping girl, but apparently she’s started asking for me too. When Newt comes to the Kitchen and asks me to come see her, I drop the dishes I’m washing instantly, splattering Frypan with water, and dash out the door as fast as I can.

In her room in the Homestead, I sit down in the chair at the foot of the bed and analyze her face. Something about her seems familiar, but I can’t grasp any memories before they glide away like shiny fish in a pond. 

Newt is silent in his chair, waiting for me to say anything I might think of or remember. As I look at the other girl’s face, I wonder what my own is like. I decide to voice my curiosity aloud. “Newt, what do I look like?”

Newt startles at the question. “What?”

“I mean, do I look like her? I feel like there’s something familiar about her, but I don’t know what it is.”

He studies my face for a moment. “I suppose you do look a bit similar. Blue eyes, pale skin, dark brown hair--though yours is much curlier than hers.”

I have to suppress the urge to smile at his tone. Does he think I’m pretty? “I just don’t know….”

'Sisters.'

I jump out of my chair. “Who said that?”

Newt looks at me with confusion and alarm. “No one said anything, Autumn.”

'We’re sisters. Autumn, I’m Teresa.'

My eyes widen in shock as I realize that the girl--Teresa--is literally talking inside my head. My eyes flick to Newt, who seems unfazed, if not a bit worried for me.

He’s worried about me? Does that mean he cares?

'Someone’s got a little crush, don’t ya, sis?'

That drives me over the edge. I jump out of the chair and race out of the room without another word.

\---

That night, as I lie on the ground, staring at the sky and waiting for sleep to overtake me, I hear the voice in my head again.

'Tom, Autumn, I just triggered the Ending.'


	7. Playing with Feelings and Fire

The next morning, there is no sun. 

The entire Glade seems blanketed in gray hopelessness. We all wake up late, and it’s very difficult for any of the Gladers to get to work. Things only get worse when the Box doesn’t deliver its weekly supply shipment.

After dinner, a commotion arises from the Homestead. “She’s awake!” Chuck shouts. His cries distract Alby and Newt from their meeting with Minho and Thomas. I run out of the Kitchen to meet her. If she’s truly my sister, I want to be the first person she talks to. 

Several of the boys hold me back. “What are you doing?” I shout. 

“We’re gonna have our traditional welcome bonfire,” one explains to me. “We were waiting until she woke up to do it for both of you, and we could all use the mood boost right now.”

\---

“Enjoying your party?”

I look up as the newcomers sit down next to me on the log, firelight flickering across their faces. “Yeah,” I laugh. 

Thomas throws an arm around my shoulders. “Hey.” 

“Hi,” I reply in fake exasperation. 

Thomas catches me studying his friend. “That’s Minho,” he adds. “He’s the Keeper of the Runners. We’re buds now.” 

“She’s hotter than you made her sound, dude.” Minho makes an indecipherable face and winks at me, and I have to fight the urge to laugh again. 

“Hey, there’s the other Greenie!” someone cries. I look up and see Teresa marching toward the circle around the bonfire just as Newt sits down on my other side. 

“Hey,” I say. 

“Hi.” He offers me a jar of liquid. “You want a taste?”

I take the jar and cautiously tip a bit of it back through my lips. It has a bitter flavor and burns my throat as it goes down. “That was disgusting,” I reply matter-of-factly as I give the jar back to him.

He chuckles, taking another swig. “Well, you’d be the expert on taste, I suppose.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I laugh, playfully slapping his side. 

“Don’t worry, I meant it as a compliment.” He smiles and looks away, staring off into the distance at nothing in particular. “How’s the Glade treatin’ ya?”

I shrug. “Not bad, I guess. Although I think it went downhill between my First Day and tonight’s festivities.”

He grins. “Missed me that much, did ya, shank?”

I laugh and glance downward. He has been pretty busy. “Maybe.”

Teresa strides over to meet us then. “Hi,” she says with a wide smile. 

“You know, you delayed this party over a week with your little coma.”

She laughs. “Sorry about that.” 'Does anyone know about our connection?' she adds telepathically.

'Mental, or familial?' I think back. 'Either way, the answer’s no.'

'Good. Let’s keep it that way.'

I stare at her face. “I feel like I know you from somewhere.”

She looks at me quizzically. “Me too…” 

I shrug. “My head’s just been a mess since we got here.” In more ways than one. I can almost feel Teresa snooping around in my head as I think that.

“I’ll be right back,” she says, darting away to whisper conspicuously with Alby. 

“What’s she doing?” I hiss to the boys. 

“If we’re lucky, maybe she’s getting more of Gally’s...whatever this is for us to drink,” Newt says, raising his half-empty jar. We snicker in response. 

“Who wants to play a game?” Teresa cries from across the circle. About half of the crowd ignores her, not bothering to turn away from the wrestling match they’ve formed a ring around. But Teresa is not discouraged. She skips back over to our side of the bonfire with a mischievous smile spread across her face. “You guys want to play a game? It’ll be fun.”  
I look at the others. They all shrug. “We’re in,” I say. 

About ten of us split off from the majority of the group, moving away into a darker space between the fire ring and the forest. We sit in a circle and look at Teresa, awaiting her explanation. 

“This game is called Truth or Dare. One person will ask another which one they want to pick. If you pick Truth, you have to answer the question honestly. If you pick Dare, you have to do whatever the other person tells you to, no backing out. Got it?”

“Got it,” our circle choruses. 

Minho jumps up. “I want to go first. Thomas, Truth or Dare?”

“Dare.” Thomas doesn’t even blink. 

“I dare you to chug a whole jar of whatever Newt’s been drinking all night as fast as you can.”

Thomas sighs. “Let me go get some.”

\---

Teresa looks around the circle, tapping a finger on her chin as she scans us with narrowed eyes. “Autumn,” she finally says. “Truth or Dare?”

I think for a second. “Dare.”

Her eyes spark with excitement. “Hm. I dare you to...kiss Newt! I dare you to kiss Newt!”

I feel all the color drain from my face then. “Uh…” I scrabble around in my head for an excuse. “Didn’t Alby say they couldn’t do that?” 

Teresa raises one eyebrow and grins mischievously. “That’s only without permission.” I try to protest, but I don’t want to explicitly deny Newt from being around me in any capacity, because that’s the opposite of what I want. We’re friends, and...he’s really cute. I slump in defeat, and Teresa victoriously turns her fierce gaze to Newt. “I know this isn’t your dare, Newt, but you have to kiss back. Don’t let her get away with a little one on your cheek or something. Unless that crosses her boundaries.” A very obvious look at me. One last chance to deny it. I don’t. 

We lock eyes, and Newt sits up a little taller as he sighs dramatically. “Well, I suppose.”

“Go, go, go!” Thomas starts to chant. The others quickly catch on and join in. “Go, go, go!”

My cheeks burn hot and red as I get on my knees and move closer to the boy beside me. He smirks at me and nods, giving me permission to initiate the kiss, to take control. 

I don’t know how it happens, but the next thing I know, my hands are on his face, and his are on mine. Everything feels wonky and awkward and out of place. After four seconds, I fall backward, unable to stick it out any longer, and inhale a huge gulp of air. 

“Sorry.”

Newt looks around at the others, all staring at us, and gets on his feet. “Follow me, Autumn.”

I listen, standing up and jogging after him toward the edge of the woods, ignoring the taunts from our friends that suggest less-than-appropriate behavior. He sits down on the crest of a gently sloping hill and pats the grass next to him, giving me a pleading look. 

I sit down silently, and we gaze up at the bright stars in the clear sky for a moment before he speaks. “When I first came to the Glade,” Newt begins, breaking the silence as he continues to stare into the sky’s fathomless depths, “I couldn’t bear it. I didn’t know who I was or where I came from, and I was afraid. Even so, when I arrived, I became a Runner. I knew it was my best shot at escape.” My mouth drops open, accompanied by a tiny whoosh of air as I gasp, but I don’t interrupt him otherwise. “At one point, it was so unbearable that I thought I’d be better off dead. I climbed up one of the Maze walls, and I jumped. Broke my leg in three different places, but didn’t bloody die because Alby saved me. I used to think he made a mistake.” Only now does he turn and look at me. Our eyes meet, and I can see that the tears in his match mine. “But now I’m not so sure. Things are changing. The people who put me in this wretched place also put you here, and I feel like there’s a reason for that, in some weird and roundabout way. You’re the first person who’s given me hope and made me feel like we have a chance. A real chance. To get out, to build something better here, I don’t know, but I know there’s something more. Even if we do die in this bloody Maze, I’m glad to at least know you, Autumn.”

His sincerity is like a knife stabbing me in the heart. “Why are you telling me this?” I choke out. 

“Because you wanted to know,” he answers. “You asked about my time as a Runner and why I have this bloody limp. And you apologized for that kiss, which you shouldn’t have. I have no memory to compare it to, so I won’t complain. And ever since you got here, I’ve had this strange new feeling that I’ve never felt before, or maybe one that I just...don’t remember. You seem...almost familiar….”

I’m too afraid to admit that I might remember him too. “Newt…”

“Alby saw you and Thomas and Teresa during his Changing. Maybe that means we all have a sort of history. But you and I...this feels different. I won’t jump to any conclusions yet. I’m not saying it’s anything, but what I am saying is that if you feel it too, we should chase this thing and see where it leads.”

I smile at him, giving away my emotions slowly, and...tackle him on the hilltop. We roll around in the tall grass, Newt tickling me, me struggling away from him, both of us laughing madly. If this is love, I never want to let it go.

When Newt and I come back to our senses, we walk back to the center of the Glade together. Alby comes rushing past in a flurry of anger, and Newt has to tug hard on his arm to get our leader to stop and explain what’s happening. 

“Alby, what’s wrong?”

“Newt, the Doors should be closed by now, and they’re not. Thomas and the other girl disappeared, and I need to find out what they know.” 

Alby eyes me suspiciously. “I don’t know anything,” I defend immediately. With another glare, Alby stalks off, Newt close behind, so I follow, mind churning with fear of what could happen tonight.


	8. Monsters in the Night

Frypan and I carry in the last tins of nonperishables just ahead of the last stragglers. Newt latches the door to the Homestead, and everyone begins shuffling around, jockeying for space to sit or stand or sleep. Once I put the food down, I search the cramped room for Chuck or Thomas or Minho--a friend, since my sister’s spending the night in the Slammer--but as I turn around, I find Newt very close to me. 

“Thought you could use a friend right now,” he says, putting one arm around me. I reflexively snuggle closer to him, almost as if I did this regularly in the past. “Especially since your sister’s in jail for the night,” he adds in a whisper. 

My head whips up, and I gape at him. “What are you talking about? And did you just read my mind?”

“Oh, come on, Autumn. You asked me if the two of you looked similar, and I realized there was no other likely possibility besides that. Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.” He doesn’t answer my second question, so I push the disquieting thought that my head is an open book to everyone aside for the moment. 

I laugh it off awkwardly and lay my head on his shoulder. Alby starts directing Gladers toward different rooms to break up the crowd, and soon Newt and I are moving in sync up the stairs. 

In the small upstairs room, everyone waits very tensely. Thomas, Newt, and Alby start discussing some sort of game plan as the Grievers’ sounds get closer, and then Alby runs off to the Map Room alone. 

I try to settle in for the night, Newt shamelessly wrapping his arms around me. As the monsters outside roll closer, I squeeze my eyes shut and try to block them out. 

The door bangs open, and whaddya know! Gally limps awkwardly into the room, looking like a nasty pirate. Newt jumps up an instant after Thomas, and out of the blue, Gally punches Thomas. Newt pushes him away, but then the crazed boy starts rambling. 

“They’ll kill you one by one until there’s no one left!” he screams. “But maybe it’s better this way. I’ve seen the outside world, and trust me, you don’t want to remember!”

Gally rushes to the window as fast as he can in his impaired condition and begins to tear the boards away from it. He hits Newt in the head with one, sending him flying back onto the bed with a spray of blood. 

As soon as the third board is clear of the window frame, a Griever crashes through it, snapping through the wood that makes up the wall and twisting closer to us with a horrible clicking racket. 

I never thought I’d see something so terrible. The creature is indescribable. Out of its slimy gray skin jut dozens of eerie metal spikes and threatening claws. The thing has no face, which makes it all the more terrifying. 

And then Gally jumps onto it, uttering one final warning to us, and it’s gone. 

The house erupts into chaos. Thomas sprints out at top speed, the other boys start crying or running around or snoring through the cacophony, and I tear a piece of the bedsheet off and press it against the gash on Newt’s forehead. 

He winces. “I don’t need a bloody nurse,” he complains, grabbing the cloth from my hand. “I’ll be fine, luv.”

I blink. Luv? “What?” I laugh nervously.

“What, do you not want me to call you that?”

“No--no, I actually...really like it, I just...thought….”

He registers what I mean then. “You didn’t think we were there yet. That’s alright. It has only been a week.” He sits up then. “We’ve got bigger issues to deal with. Let’s go see what’s going on.”

\---

We meet Thomas and Minho outside the still-smoldering Map Room. The Med-jacks are handling Alby’s head injury, and now Thomas apparently has some urgent idea to tell the other boys. 

Before he can say anything, Winston jogs over to our group. “I called a Gathering. Bring the girl.” He nods condescendingly towards me, and Newt gives me an apologetic look before he, Minho, and I leave to hear what he has to say.


End file.
